What is Sherman? He's the NFL's best cornerback, playing for the Seattle Seahawks, and likely not just of the moment. He is an intelligent individual, a Stanford graduate; he has more in his gray matter than football smarts.

"According to his supporters," Keidel writes, "the ones who actually know him, he is the classic NFL paradox – a chirping jerk whose gratuitous self-congratulations seem to please only himself; and off the field a thoughtful, erudite young man whose real life is swathed in charity and respect for his peers."

You'd do well to read Keidel's column before making further judgment on a man you might know only from a post-game outburst on national television to a talking head whose presence guarantees instant visibility.